Pet Portrait – Buddy

Let me introduce Buddy to you. Buddy is my 9 month old springer spaniel puppy who, for some strange reason, won’t stay still long enough to let me take a photo of him. So today being a nice day (i.e. not raining) I thought I’d give it a try.

Now young Buddy has what I would call selective deafness, especially with the words come, stay and no! I knew that trying to get him to sit and stay still while I took a picture was not going to work so we headed out to his favourite spot at Inverlael Forest Garden which is about 10 miles from Ullapool where I stay.

Inverlael Forest Garden is an absolutely beautiful spot with gentle paths leading through an amazing collection of trees. The bonus for me is that it is completely enclosed which allows me to let Buddy run free without being in danger or endangering any local wildlife.

The tall trees block out any direct sunlight which creates a lovely overcast soft light which is ideal for photography. Buddy has a dark face and dark eyes so it was important for me to find a spot that would illuminate his face as he was coming towards me to give him a twinkle in his eye. I sat on a branch close to the forest floor to try get down to his level and with the sun behind me so there would be no shadows across his face. After that it was a case of letting him burn off some steam and being patient. My patience was eventually rewarded and I was able to get a shot of him standing still.

It is always nice to capture any quirks your pet may have. For Buddy this is always having a bunch of leaves/moss/twigs in his mouth when he is running and bouncing around.